Freetown

The Problem

Sierra Leone is an under-researched but highly instructive case study for the issue of urban violence. It is a post-war context with high youth unemployment, limited policing capacity, limited resources and yet a low-level of urban violence in comparison to regional neighbours. As such it presents a puzzle and challenge to many theories on why urban violence occurs (or how civil war reoccurs). However, my fieldwork in the capital Freetown in Jan-Feb 2017 and Feb-March 2018 also shows that there is a growing gang-problem in the country, with potential to seriously jeopardise future security if left unaddressed.

The Response

Gang violence in Freetown has only recently caught the attention of authorities at municipal and state level. To date, policing responses have been heavily security-focused, based on deterrence through targeting gang-members for arrest and harsher sentencing. In a country with intensive UK investment for post-conflict reconstruction, including through security sector reform cooperation, stability and policing in Freetown is also an ongoing concern of the UK government. British police advisers work with Freetown police to devise effective responses to urban violence. However, little is known about Sierra Leone’s gangs and far more research is required.

My Research

A key aim of my research in Freetown is to provide the first, extensive academic study of gangs in Sierra Leone, offering a baseline for policy responses and future research. Interviews with gangs across the city have already been conducted during Jan-Feb 2017 and Feb-March 2018, as well as research with community members, local academics, NGOs, Sierra Leone Police, UK advisors and other relevant stakeholders. Fieldwork has been conducted across Freetown in all major gang locations, with particular focus given to informal communities and the areas of Foulah Town, Congo Town, Kingtom, Susan’s Bay, Kroo Bay, and Goderich.

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Recent Publications

‘Public Health and Violence’
In Critical Public Health, Vol. 29, Issue 2, 2019.
Editorial outlining several areas where critical caution must be exercised in the push for public health responses to violence.

I am crowdfunding a new collaborative documentary on gangs in Sierra Leone, employing ex-gang members in its production – read more and lend your support here: https://www.gofundme.com/gangsofreetown